


My Frankenstein

by xBlackxRosexRebellionx



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-28 00:58:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20957816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xBlackxRosexRebellionx/pseuds/xBlackxRosexRebellionx
Summary: Eve stumbled onto him on Halloween night, frightened, naked, cold, and abandoned in the middle of the forest that surrounded her cozy little cabin. Not knowing what else to do and unable to turn him away, she takes him into her home, telling herself that it is only a temporary fix. However, upon discovering that he is unlike anything she has ever met before, she quickly abandons the idea of calling the local authorities to sort it out. This man has already suffered enough and, surely, if someone was looking for him, they would come forward in due time. But, until then, she finds herself sharing her home with none other than a modern day Frankenstein. And that Frankenstein has decided that Eve is HIS.





	My Frankenstein

** _Well, this is the first of many projects on my list of things to finish. I have what a good friend of mine once called “Writer’s ADD”, which I think is a pretty accurate diagnosis. I have SO many different one-shots or chapters for full-length stories started and hardly ANY of them are finished. So I’ve made myself a “To Do List” of sorts. This is just one of the MANY projects on that list. It’s been so long since I’ve written or even worked on anything that I’m afraid I’m a bit out of touch. But it’s slowly coming back to me. For those of you that were dedicated fans of my writing, I sincerely apologize. You can thank my fiance’s INSANELY busy lifestyle that I’ve now become a part of and my now almost 8 month old son for the massive delay in my writing._ **

** _For those of you that don’t know, I had a rather rough pregnancy with my son. I had to take medication to even be able to keep any food down so that I could gain weight properly to support him in the womb. I had a few other complications as well, but the major setback was the sudden-onset preeclampsia that struck quite suddenly – as the name suggest – when I was only 31 weeks pregnant. I had a seizure, which they think was caused by the fact that my blood pressure was sky high and my blood sugar was WAY low – which is strange, considering the fact that just the day before that, all of my vitals were fine. They found me unresponsive at the home I share with my fiancé and rushed me by ambulance to the hospital, where they decided to put me on magnesium, to try to stabilize my blood pressure. However, my son became sluggish in the womb and they decided that it would be best for both of us if they did an emergency c-section. My son was born 9 weeks early, weighing 2 pounds, 8 ounces, on February 10, 2019. He spent the first 8 weeks of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where I spent more of my time than at my own home. After he was released, he had weekly weight checks scheduled to monitor his growth and progress closely. So, as you can imagine, life has been one hell of a whirlwind for the past almost 2 years now. But my son is happy and healthy. He’s eating like a horse and growing like a weed. He is now over 13 pounds, and we couldn’t be more pleased with his progress. In fact, his pediatrician says that he’s doing better than most full-term babies his age in terms of his developmental milestones. But, now that he’s starting to get a little older – and a LOT bigger – I’m FINALLY able to find just a little bit of time during the day for myself, which will allow me to get some writing done hopefully – even if it’s just a little at a time._ **

** _So I want to thank you all for your patience with me. I want to thank Sarah, Talia, and Josie for hanging in there with me through the ups and downs I’ve come to call life. And I want to thank Jay for always being there for me. No matter what life has thrown at me, you’ve always been RIGHT there by my side. I couldn’t have made it this far without you, dear._ **

** _As always, any comments, concerns, questions, or suggestions are welcome. Feedback is my biggest motivation. Thank you for reading this and I hope you all enjoy it._ **

** **

** _My Frankenstein_ **

** Chapter 1: Finding Frankenstein **

** **

_Despite the lies that you're making_  
Your love is mine for the taking  
My love is  
Just waiting  
To turn your tears to roses

_Despite the lies that you're making_  
Your love is mine for the taking  
My love is  
Just waiting  
To turn your tears to roses

_I will be the one that's gonna hold you_  
I will be the one that you run to  
My love is  
A burning, consuming fire

_No_  
You'll never be alone  
When darkness comes, I'll light the night with stars  
Hear the whispers in the dark

__  
No  
You'll never be alone  
When darkness comes, you know I'm never far  
Hear the whispers in the dark

_You feel so lonely and ragged_  
You lay here broken and naked  
My love is  
Just waiting  
To clothe you in crimson roses

_I will be the one that's gonna find you_  
I will be the one that's gonna guide you  
My love is  
A burning, consuming fire

_No_  
You'll never be alone  
When darkness comes, I'll light the night with stars  
Hear the whispers in the dark

__  
No  
You'll never be alone  
When darkness comes, you know I'm never far  
Hear the whispers in the dark

_No_  
You'll never be alone  
When darkness comes, I'll light the night with stars  
Hear the whispers in the dark

__  
No  
You'll never be alone  
When darkness comes, you know I'm never far  
Hear the whispers in the dark

_Whispers in the dark_

_Whispers in the dark_

_Whispers in the dark…_

** _~*Eve*~_ **

** **

It was times like tonight when Eve Mathers was thankful that she lived out in the middle of nowhere, thankful that she’d decided to purchase the small but cozy cabin she’d come to call home 3 years ago. She hadn’t regretted her decision to leave the city there in Denver, Colorado and move out into the rugged wilderness.

She’d been fortunate enough to get 5 novels published, having set a goal for herself to write one a year and having started her search for willing publishers the very day she’d decided that her first novel was finally finished. It had taken her just over a year to find a publishing company that was actually interested in her work and the first thing they’d asked her was if she had any other works that she could submit to them so that they could get a feel for her writing style. Of course, she’d managed to complete another novel by then and she’d sent a copy of it to them. Within two weeks’ time, they’d sent a publicist right to her apartment in the city to meet with her in person.

Over the next 2 years, she’d had 5 novels published. She’d managed to save up enough money between her night-shift job as a registered nurse at the Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan there in Denver and the checks she’d received from book sales to purchase the cabin she now lived in. Hell she’d even been able to quit her “day job” and focus solely on her writing!

So it was nights like tonight, Halloween night, that she was glad that she’d moved out of the bustling city and into the serene stillness of Colorado’s wilderness.

Eve grabbed her favorite hoodie, one that her brother had left there months ago while he had been visiting and had forgotten about. It was baggy and black with pockets on the front of it, a couple of skulls and intricate, gold designs etched on the front and a couple more skulls and bold, gold lettering on the back with the company’s logo etched into it. She slipped it on, zipping it up, before whistling for her 3 year old Border Collie and Blue Heeler mix, Remi, and her 3 year old German Shepherd and Chow mix, Koda, to follow her.

She found her trusty flashlight and pulled the back door open, stepping out into the cool, night air. She smiled to herself as Remi trotted ahead of her, tail and ears erect, across the vast expanse of her back yard until they arrived at the edge of the forest that bordered her property. Unlike Remi, Koda refused to leave her side. The dogs were as different as night and day. Remi was more independent, always trotting along in front of her and blazing his own trail, while Koda walked along beside her, her ever-faithful guardian and companion, following her everywhere like a furry shadow.

Every night, they made their way to the woods for a moonlit walk. It was the most relaxing part of her day if she was honest. There was just something about being surrounded by nature that soothed her soul, something so serene about the stillness and beauty of the forest as it was bathed by moonlight. It was almost magical.

As she stepped off of her property and into the forest that surrounded it, her feet finding the barren, dirt path that she and her furry companions had worn into the earth over the past couple years, Remi eagerly blazed a trail of his own ahead of her, his nose to the ground and his tail in the air as he tracked the scent of some forest creature or another that had gone scampering along since last night’s moonlit hike. She felt Koda’s tail brushing against her and knew that he was wagging his tail as he plodded along beside her. A glance down at her faithful fur baby only confirmed this, causing a smile to curl at her lips.

Eve’s senses were alert, her cinnamon colored eyes focused on the path ahead of her as her flashlight illuminated it and her ears sharp as she took in the various sounds of the forest. Despite the fact that _most _of the animals had been asleep for a few hours by then, it didn’t mean that _all _of them were. Quite on the contrary, it was a well-known fact – to those that were familiar with the mountains and forested areas of Colorado – that the most dangerous wildlife in the Colorado wilderness was nocturnal.

While most gray wolves usually hunted during the day since their prey was awake and on the move then, they were often heard howling at night. Coyotes, like most raccoons and possums and even skunks, were scavengers and tended to roam closer to campgrounds and people’s homes in search of pet food that had been left out or take their chances rummaging through people’s garbage. Lynxes and bobcats stalked around through the forests at night on occasion. Black bears and grizzlies sometimes made late night visits closer to civilization in search of food. Cougars were notorious for stalking their prey or roaming around the forests and farmlands late at night. Hell even wolverines were known for prowling around after the sun went down. And if there was one thing that she didn’t want to encounter late at night, it was a fucking wolverine. She’d heard various tales about Colorado’s most dangerous predators and she certainly didn’t want to be caught off-guard during one of her late night walks.

In the 2 years that she’d been taking her moonlit walks, Eve had come across several animals that had been caught in a trap. She’d let a few deer out of snares or set a few rabbits or hares loose from live traps, unable to stand back and watch them suffer at the hands of careless hunters who had expected to find their catch the next morning. And, while she carried a Bowie knife in a sheath at her hip for that very reason, she also had a Beretta tucked snugly into the waistband of her jeans, just in case.

While she could count how many times she’d actually had to use a weapon on one hand, she’d always been a firm believer that it was better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it. Her brother had bought it for her the _very _day he’d discovered that she was planning to move out of the city and into Colorado’s rugged wilderness, insisting that she needed _some _form of protection against Colorado’s “dangerous” wildlife. He’d taken her to the range and made sure that she knew how to use it, that she knew how to flip the safety off and on and had an accurate shot. He’d insisted that it might just save her life. And it _had_, a couple of times. But there was no way in _hell _she was going to ever tell _him_ that. Just like she had no intention of mentioning that she took late night walks through the forest with “the boys”.

She heard a branch snap and froze, her flashlight sweeping over to the direction the noise had come from, revealing the source of the sound and making herself laugh and shake her head at herself as a rabbit went hopping across the path in front of her. Apparently Remi had flushed it from its hole while he’d been sniffing around.

About 15 minutes into their walk, Eve saw Remi’s body tense, his ears perking up and his hackles rising slightly. He hunched over a bit, moving in that characteristic “crouching” position that his ancestors were known for as he began to stalk whatever it was that he’d heard. Never before had Eve seen him move like that and it put her on edge if she was honest. He’d always emitted an excited yip when flushing a rabbit or a hare out of its hiding spot or he’d voiced a bark when treeing a squirrel, poising himself at the base of the tree with his front paws on the rough bark and his feathered tail wagging until she called him away from it. But now he crouched, silently stalking whatever animal he’d scented on the cool, night breeze. And it didn’t help that the mostly-silent Koda was now snarling, his hackles rising and his dark lips pulling away from his teeth.

Eve’s hand found the sheath at her hip, her fingers gripping the smooth, solid hilt and tugging it free.

Then she heard it, the low, agonized whine of an injured animal. It sent a shiver racing down her spine. It was such a pitiful sound, making a lump form in her throat and her chest ache.

She knew then that it had to be a bear or a cougar that had either gotten shot by a hunter earlier that day and had wandered off to die or had gotten caught in a trap.

Animals had always been her weakness. In fact, she’d come to discover that she enjoyed their company more than that of her human counterparts. It was why she’d rescued Koda and Remi from the pound, unable to stand the thought of them being put down when she could offer them a permanent, loving home. It was why she’d chosen to become a nurse instead of a vet’s assistant – because even the _thought _of seeing an animal suffering made her chest tighten. It was why she’d been unable to become a forest or park ranger – because she knew that she’d be tempted to put the damn _humans _down when they killed an animal for sport or unreasonably.

So it didn’t take her long to come to the conclusion that she was going to put it out of its misery, whatever it was. She didn’t want it to suffer, couldn’t stand the idea of it lying there all night, bleeding out or enduring a slow, agonizing death.

With that thought in mind, she followed Remi closely, branching off of the beaten path and venturing further into the thick undergrowth of the forest. She kept the flashlight pointed down at the ground in front of her, her eyes focused on her feet so as not to trip over a root or a fallen branch even as she listened for the low, pained whines of the injured animal.

As she drew closer, she tried to figure out how the hell she was going to keep her flashlight trained on the animal so that she’d be able to see well enough to get off a good, clean shot that would end its suffering. If it was a bear or a cougar, she’d never be able to get close enough to drive her blade into its skull. She decided to slip her knife back into its sheath and ease her Beretta out of the back of her waistband.

But, as she approached the source of the sound, her flashlight illuminating the creature that had drawn her to it with its pitiful whines and moans, she gasped, her cinnamon colored orbs growing real wide, and quickly tucked her gun back into the waistband of her jeans.

There, lying slumped over against a fallen tree, was the bloody form of a naked young man. As the bright beam of her flashlight revealed his scared, shivering form, he flinched harshly, his features scrunching up in fear and his muscles tensing as if he expected her to lash out at him. He gave a pathetic whimper and tried to turn himself away from her, away from the bright light.

Remi barked at the young man, lowering his head and taking a couple steps backwards, even as Koda snarled, placing himself between Eve and the unknown boy. The young man flinched sharply, whimpering as he cowered against the side of the fallen tree, curling in on himself in a clear display of fear.

“Remi! Koda! No!” Eve scolded as she slowly approached the young man.

She had _so _many questions for him. Who was he? Where was he from? Was that fake blood or had he actually been injured? Was this some sick sort of Halloween prank that had gone wrong?

But one question was much more important than the others. How did he get there?

She took a step closer to him, then another, approaching him slowly, cautiously. She didn’t want to scare him. She’d spent enough time around horses and dogs to know that you had to approach a spooked animal with great caution.

The boy whimpered, his whole body tensing, as he pressed himself into the side of the fallen tree, squeezing his eyes shut tight like he expected her to lash out at him.

“Shh… Shh…” she murmured, her voice soft and quiet, “Shh… I’m not gonna hurt you…”

She drew closer until she was standing right beside him before she squatted down, putting herself at his level in an attempt to appear less intimidating, and slowly reached one hand out towards him.

Slowly, gently, she brushed his long, wet, matted hair away from his eyes, discovering that the crimson colored liquid was, in fact, the same color and consistency as real blood. And, upon lifting her fingers to her nose and taking a whiff of the sticky liquid, her suspicions were confirmed. It smelled coppery, salty. It was definitely real.

She reached out once more and gingerly ran the tips her fingers along the length of his cheek.

“Shh… Shh…” Eve crooned, trying to keep her voice as soft and soothing as possible, “Shh… It’s okay… It’s okay…”

She watched as his muscles gradually began to relax, breathing a sigh of relief and feeling some of the tension leave her own body. She felt her lips curl up into a smile as he leaned into her touch, voicing his approval with a low purr. The sound was almost animalistic, so deep and gravelly. It sent a shudder racing down her spine.

“How did you get all the way out here?” she asked him.

He turned his head slightly, letting his pale eyes find her cinnamon colored ones, but didn’t answer.

Her lips curled down into a frown and she repeated her question. His pale eyes fixed on her moving lips and he reached one large, trembling hand out to press his fingertips to her lips, his brows furrowing as he cocked his head to one side.

She frowned once more and then a thought struck her. Maybe he didn’t speak English. Maybe he couldn’t understand what she was saying. Regardless of his lack of comprehension, there were more pressing matters at hand. She couldn’t just leave him there. She had to get him somewhere warm, somewhere _safe._ The smell of blood would surely attract predators and there was no way in hell she could deal with his death on her conscience.

She met his gaze and informed him, “We’ve gotta get you outta here. We’ve gotta get you somewhere safe, somewhere where we can get you all cleaned up and warmed up.”

If she could just get him home, get him into the tub and give him a good scrubbing, get him a spare set of her brother’s clothes and fix him some hot chocolate, she could call the police and see if he fit any missing persons’ profiles. At the very least, she could inform them of how and where she’d found him in the hopes that they’d be able to identify him somehow. Someone had to be looking for him. He had to have _someone_ out there that cared about him, someone that would miss him.

With that thought in mind, she moved closer to him and reached up to slide the zipper of her hoodie down and tug the sleeves down her arms. She had an old, white, thermal, long-sleeved shirt on underneath of it and the poor bastard obviously needed the hoodie more than she did, his naked body shivering and trembling.

The boy watched her with his brows furrowed in confusion as she held it out towards him. He didn’t move, choosing instead to simply observe her actions, his eyes flickering from the hoodie to Eve and back again.

She frowned and reached out even further, offering him the article of clothing once more, and he simply blinked, those pale eyes watching her closely.

Eve reached out with one hand, her eyes never leaving his, and gently grasped his arm. He tilted his head to one side as he watched her slowly ease one sleeve up his arm. She was surprised to discover that he didn’t make a peep, didn’t try to impede the process but, rather, he simply allowed her to slide the sleeves up his arms and engulf his large frame with the warmth the soft, cotton material offered.

His mouth formed an “O”, his eyes growing wide in awe, as she slid the zipper up, but he didn’t make a sound. Instead, he brought one trembling hand up to grasp the zipper between his fingers and tug at it, his eyes lighting up and a smile stretching across his face as it began to slide back down the track, making a loud _ZZZIIIIIIP _noise. The smile was an adorable one, one that displayed straight, white teeth and boyish dimples. It made her chest tighten and a swell of pity surged over her.

She knew then that she had to help him.

She was quick to reach out and coax his hand into zipping the hoodie back up, telling him, “We’ve gotta keep it zipped. It’s cold out here.”

His eyes grew wide once more and his mouth formed that “O” of surprise.

But, this time, he emitted a little “Oh” noise as he looked down at the zipper as she gently pried his hand off of it and lowered it to his side. His brows furrowed and he peered up at her in confusion.

She was starting to think that maybe it wasn’t just a language barrier. Something wasn’t right. Something about this young man was a little off. He was fascinated by the simplest of things, easily confused, unable to grasp the meaning behind the words she spoke to him. Maybe there was something more to the equation than just a lack of understanding the English language. Having worked with individuals who suffered from various psychological disorders, she found herself wondering if maybe this young man didn’t have some sort of disability.

Playing on this hunch, Eve reached out and pointed to the zipper on the hoodie, speaking slowly and as clearly as possible as she stated, _“Zipper.”_

He tilted his head at her and his keen, pale eyes locked on first the zipper and then gradually roamed up to meet her face.

“Z… Zzz… Zzzzip…” he tried, his speech halting and gravelly.

A huge smile spread across her face and she nodded at him in encouragement, repeating, _“Zipper.”_

“Zzzip… Zzzip-perrr…” he stuttered.

She grinned at him, nodding once more, and praised, _“Very _good.”

She pointed to the zipper once more and said, “The zipper needs to stay _up.”_

His brows furrowed and he pointed to the piece of metal, stammering, “Zzzip-per.”

It was a little clearer that time, a little more confident.

“That’s _right,” _she agreed with a nod, “That’s a zipper. It has to stay up or you’ll get cold.”

She reached up to wrap her arms around herself and made a “Brrrr!” noise, giving a full-body shudder, hinting, _“Cold.”_

He cocked his head to one side and asked, “C-Cooold?”

“Cold,” she replied with a nod.

She reached out to slide the zipper up even further and explained, _“Up.”_

“Uuup?” he questioned, his pitch rising slightly as he tried to imitate her prompt.

“Up,” she confirmed with a nod.

“Up,” he repeated, enunciating the P more than necessary that time.

But Eve let it slide. There were more pressing matters at hand. She had to figure out a way to get him back to her cabin and inside, where it was safe and warm. The longer they waited, the more precarious their situation grew.

She reached out to slide her arm around his waist and his brows furrowed in confusion even as he tilted his head to one side, his pale eyes peering up at her. A shudder ripped down her spine. While she couldn’t quite make out the exact color of his eyes from the dim light her flashlight offered, she knew that they were pale, his gaze almost eerie.

“We’ve gotta get you up onto your feet,” she informed him, “We’ve gotta get you somewhere safe, somewhere warm.”

“Up?” he inquired.

She took a deep breath. Right. She had to go slow with him.

“Yes,” she answered, nodding her head, “Up.”

“Up,” he said, nodding his head.

She started to tug, attempting to lift him upward, and he released a long, low groan of pain, reaching up with his free hand to try to push her away. But she refused to be swayed, putting more effort into hoisting him up onto his feet.

She groaned as she realized that he had no idea what she wanted from him and trying to help him up onto his feet was like trying to dead-lift a slab of concrete.

“Fuck!” she cursed, wrapping her arm more securely around his waist and putting her shoulder into it, pressing it against his armpit as she tried once more.

With every failed attempt on her part and every grunt or groan of protest from him, she only grew even more determined.

Finally, after a string of failed attempts on her part, several annoyed swats from her not-so-competent companion, and countless grunts or growls from both of them and, despite the occasional dirty glares he shot her way, she managed to hoist him up far enough that he was on his feet, though his legs wobbled and threatened to give out on him.

“Don’t you fall,” she huffed, angrier with herself for her lack of physical strength than with him for his lack of competency.

It wasn’t his fault. He was clearly injured and apparently mentally impaired somehow.

She waited a few treacherous moments for him to find his balance, though it was fleeting at moments, and rested her hand on his stomach over the warm material of the hoodie she’d slipped onto him.

Once he was fairly stable, she took a step, then another, and another. But his steps were awkward and clumsy, his feet fumbling and his body seeming to lurch forward, clearly off-kilter.

In the end, it only resulted with her falling face forward under his weight, her face meeting the dirt as she gave a muffled, “Fuck!”

She let her forehead rest on the dirt for a moment as she grumbled, “Fuck my life…”

She heaved a sigh at herself and pushed herself up onto her hands and knees before getting to her feet once more. She brushed the dirt off of herself and looked down at the young man that lied on the forest floor, bloody, half-naked, and now covered in dirt.

She glanced up at the sky and mumbled, “Yeah. This is _real _fucking funny. Ha ha. I’m amused.”

She rolled her cinnamon colored eyes and shooed the dogs, who had ventured close enough to start sniffing at the frightened young man and nudging at him with their noses, away as he whimpered and squirmed in the dirt, trying to escape their cold, wet noses.

“Remi! Koda! Leave him be!” Eve scolded before setting in on helping the heavy burden of a boy onto his unsteady feet once more.

Once he was up, she waited a few moments, hoping that the time she gave him would allow him to regain some of the strength in his muscles. And, whether he’d disliked his tumble onto the forest floor or his muscles had actually gained a little strength back, she wasn’t sure. But his legs seemed a little sturdier, his footing a little more stable. So she set out for the path, hoping that the exercise would help strengthen his legs a bit.

“That’s it,” she praised, flashing him a bright smile as they trudged across the undergrowth of the forest on their way towards the dirt path, “You’re doin’ great.”

He simply grunted, his eyes focused on his feet as he concentrated on just putting one foot in front of the other. She was amazed by how hard he seemed to focus on what he was doing. But it sure as hell helped keep him upright so she wasn’t complaining.

When they finally made it back onto the path, she breathed a sigh of relief.

But that relief was short-lived. In fact, it only lasted a matter of minutes before it was shattered with the loud snapping of a branch.

Eve’s head snapped around, her muscles tensing and her body freezing in place as she heard the dogs snarling. There, not 100 feet away, standing on the path ahead of them, was a black bear, its head raised high as its nostrils flared, testing the air.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” she whispered to herself before turning her head just slightly, never taking her eyes off of the large carnivore, and hissing quietly to her two-legged companion, _“Don’t… move…”_

The dogs barked and snarled, slowly edging closer to the bear, and Eve’s breath caught in her throat as the bear eyed them, sizing them up.

She began to panic, frantically trying to recall the details she’d heard about how to respond when encountering dangerous wildlife in Colorado’s mountains and forested areas. She remembered quite clearly that “don’t run” was the first warning given when _any _kind of large predator was involved.

She wished now that she’d paid closer attention to those warnings.

The bear chuffed at the dogs and took a step forward. Eve’s breath caught in her throat as she watched the bear slowly sidle closer, her feet automatically taking one step backward for every step the bear took towards them.

The dogs held their ground, their hackles rising and their fangs bared as their snarls grew louder.

The bear stopped about 30 feet away from the dogs, pushing itself up onto its hind feet to appear larger and more intimidating.

Then it hit her: If the bear is at a distance, try to intimidate it. Don’t try to approach it and don’t let it approach you.

“Fuck!” Eve cursed under her breath, letting her grip on her human companion loosen so that she could slide one hand back into the waistband of her jeans and ease her gun out.

She was quick to flip the safety off and use both hands to aim the gun. She didn’t know if it would scare the bear or piss it off. But she didn’t want it coming any closer and she _sure _as hell didn’t plan on losing either one of her furry, faithful companions tonight.

She aimed the gun in front of the bear’s feet first, firing off a single round, and the bear dropped onto all four feet. She waited a few seconds, pausing to gauge the bear’s reaction. While the bear was surprised and confused, it didn’t seem too deterred. So she aimed for the bear’s shoulder, knowing that it wouldn’t maim the bear badly enough that it would affect its daily life – just enough to hopefully scare it into leaving.

When the second shot rang out, the bullet made contact with the bear’s shoulder, just as she’d planned, and the bear gave a yowl of pain, shaking its head and taking one step back.

Eve knew that she only had four bullets left in the chamber now.

“Change of plans,” she told the mystery man beside her, “Make _lots _of noise.”

She began to shout and scream, stomping her feet and yelling at the bear. It took a few moments for the bloodied boy to catch on but she knew that it had finally sunk in when she heard him give a low, rumbling growl, one that sent a shudder ripping down her spine, her blood running cold. There was something distinctly feral about that sound, something primal and dangerous.

And _that _caught the bear’s attention. In fact, the bear froze, its gaze locked on the boy, and chuffed, raising its head once more and sniffing at the air. Its nostrils flared as it took in large whiffs. It lowered its head, staring him down, and gave a bellow. It made like it was going to charge, its front two feet surging forward and leaping slightly though its back feet remained firmly planted on the ground.

But her mystery man called its bluff. He stepped forward, moving away from her somewhat-steadying presence and closer to danger, and gave a loud, brutal shout. It was a blatant challenge and the bear took it as such, rearing up onto its hind feet. But the man wasn’t having any of it. And, before Eve could do a thing to stop him, he’d lunged forward, running headlong at the surprised bear and tackling it to the forest floor.

Eve found that she couldn’t move, her feet rooted firmly to the ground and her eyes growing wide as her jaw fell open at the sight before her. There, right before her eyes, the bloodied boy had the bear trapped beneath him, his hands around its neck as he gave a brutal shout and bashed the bear’s head on the dirt beneath them.

She gave a loud exhalation, a noise somewhere between a horrified laugh and a choked sob escaping her as the young man leaned down to snarl right into the bear’s face. His lips pulled back from his teeth as he smacked the bear’s skull into the ground beneath them once more, this time with much more force. The loud, sickening _CRACK_ that followed made her gasp, one hand flying to her mouth as she staggered backwards a couple steps.

There was no way, no _fucking _way, that this was real. It couldn’t be. She had to be dreaming. Yeah! That was it. This was all just some sick, twisted dream. She’d wake up soon.

But she didn’t wake up.

Instead, she drew in a sharp breath as she watched the bloodied, half-naked boy push himself off of the lifeless bear’s body and turn to look at her, swaying slightly on his feet.

She didn’t know what it was, if he had been fueled by adrenaline or fear or if it was some form of self-preservation, but his strength was back to its weary state once more and she had to hurry towards him, reaching up to wrap one arm around his waist and tucking herself into his side in an effort to steady him.

It wasn’t until he pressed his cheek to the top of her head and whimpered, both of his arms wrapping tighter around her than she’d thought possible, considering his seemingly exhausted state, that she realized that it hadn’t been fear for _himself _that had fueled his actions. While she couldn’t quite explain it, Eve got the sense that her bloodied companion had been more afraid of the bear harming _her _than himself. And that thought was only further solidified when she tried to ease herself out of his surprisingly hot embrace, only to feel his arms wrapping even tighter around her, caging her against his furnace-like body.

She felt him burying his face in her neck, tunneling his way under her long, black hair and nuzzling his nose slowly back and forth against the sensitive skin of her neck. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she heard him take a deep breath in. It was then that she realized just what he was doing. He was taking in her scent.

He eased his head back slightly and rubbed his cheek against hers like a big cat. If he’d simply acted out of self-preservation, out of sheer fear for his _own_ safety and survival, he wouldn’t have dealt her those displays of affection, would he? That realization only made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, he’d reacted on the impulse to protect _her._

But she quickly dismissed that idea. That _couldn’t_ be it. Hell he barely even knew her, only having met her 10, maybe 15, minutes ago and, so far, she’d struggled to even keep him upright. Hell she had had to almost _drag_ him through the woods. What a piss poor job she’d done trying to help him, trying to protect him. Surely he didn’t value her safety over his. No. This wasn’t him needing to hold her in his arms to know that she was okay, that she was _safe._ This was simply… Well, she didn’t really know what it was. But it certainly wasn’t that.

Eve shook her head at herself. She’d studied enough psychology over the years to know that the more realistic cause behind his behavior was that he was seeking comfort from her because she was the only person around that could potentially offer it to him. He’d been scared by the bear’s aggressive behavior and had simply acted out of self-preservation, driven by sincere fear and adrenaline. Yes. That had to be it.

Her brows furrowed and her lips curled down into a pout. But he hadn’t _seemed_ scared of the bear before he’d launched himself at it. In fact, he’d seemed undaunted, unfazed, by the potential threat the bear posed against them until _she_ had started shouting at the bear. It was only when the bear had challenged him that the boy had launched into action.

Eve sighed, finally coming to the conclusion that she honestly didn’t know what had driven his actions. All she knew was that she still had a long trek ahead of her, when considering his pressing weight bearing down on her while she tried to make her way through the woods.

Yet, despite his lack of proper speech, despite his almost animalistic demeanor, Eve found that there was almost something endearing about him. Maybe it was that childlike innocence that he seemed to possess. Maybe it was the way those keen, pale eyes had lit up with fascination when he’d played with the zipper on the hoodie she’d pulled on him. Maybe it was the adorable look that stole over his face when his brows would furrow and his lips would pull down into a pout to display his confusion. Whatever it was, Eve couldn’t quite place it. But she knew that she would never forget this young man.

When he finally let her ease back from his tight, sweltering embrace, she found those pale eyes gazing down at her, alert, searching, questioning. It was almost as if he was using his eyes to communicate his expressions, his thoughts. He clearly had no idea what to expect, had no idea what she had in store for him. But he clearly trusted her or he wouldn’t be letting her drag him through the forest. Hell, after what she’d seen him do to that damn bear, she got the sense that there was no way in _hell _he’d do anything that he didn’t want to.

She found those eyes fixed on her, the pale, eerie orbs watching her every move, and a shudder ripped down her spine.

“Come on,” she told him, rubbing gently at his side over the warm cotton of the hoodie she’d pulled on him to help keep him from freezing out there in the cool, October breeze, “We’ve gotta get you back to my place.”

What should’ve been a 15 minute hike back to her cabin wound up being a 45 minute excursion. He’d freeze at every sound, his body tensing and his arm flexing as he forced her even further into his side, his keen, pale eyes roaming around the woods for any sign of danger. She had no doubts by the time they _finally _reached her secluded little cabin that he had, in fact, killed the bear instinctively. However, the more time she spent with her human companion, the more firmly she believed that he’d seen the bear as a threat to _her _safety, not his own. In fact, he didn’t seemed concerned with his own safety at all.

And, when she finally got him into the cabin, the first thing she did was lay a towel out on one of the kitchen chairs and ease him down onto it.

“Stay put,” she told him, pointing to first him and then the chair he was sitting in, hoping to get her point across.

His brows furrowed and she slowly started to back away from him.

But he was quick to whimper, pushing himself up from the chair.

“No, no,” she scolded gently, reaching out to press a firm hand to his shoulder and ease him back down into a seated position on the chair once more.

With one hand pressed firmly against his chest and that intense, pale gaze focused on her face, she instructed once more, _“Stay…”_

His brows furrowed again but, this time, when she attempted to back away from him, he let her, watching her with those eerie, pale eyes as she walked across the room to go lock the front door.

She headed back across the kitchen and across the living room towards the back door to lock it as well.

But, when she turned around, she ran smack dab into a hot, solid surface, her brows furrowing at the strange sensation before she felt a strong set of arms wrapping tight around her. She heard him emit a whine even as he hugged her to him. And she realized then that he’d gotten up to follow her and she’d run face first into his firm, broad chest.

He whimpered, rubbing his cheek against her hair like a big cat, and she came to the conclusion that he hadn’t liked her leaving his line of sight. He didn’t like being separated from her.

“Shh…” she murmured to him softly, reaching up to run one hand in slow, soothing motions up and down the length of his spine over the cotton material of the hoodie he wore, “Shh… It’s okay… I’m right here…”

He only hugged her tighter, resting his cheek against the top of her head and refusing to let her move.

In fact, it took several moments before he began to loosen his grip on her and she was able to slowly ease herself away from his embrace, her cinnamon colored eyes meeting his pale ones. It was then that she finally realized just what color his eyes really were, the irises appearing to be a bright, forest green color in the light that shined down from the overhead light there in the living room. In fact, those eyes were such a beautiful shade of green that she found herself speechless. Yet they looked so eerie when combined with the blood that was matted in his long hair, covering his face and the majority of his mostly-naked body.

“We need to get you cleaned up,” she tried to explain even though she knew that he didn’t understand a word she was saying, “We need to get you warmed up.”

He tilted his head to one side and she wrapped one arm around his slender waist. He was quick to tuck her right into his side, peering down at her with those pale, haunting eyes as he watched her closely. Those viridescent eyes roamed over her face, searching, questioning.

“All right,” she told him, “Come on. I’ll show you to the bathroom.”

Eve guided him across the kitchen and towards the guest bathroom, pulling a couple of old towels out of the cabinet. She set one on the countertop, along with a wash cloth, and laid the other one out on the closed toilet lid. She set her hands on his firm, broad shoulders and gently pushed, easing him down onto the towel that covered the lid of the toilet.

“I’m gonna run you some water,” she explained, “We’ll get you a nice, hot bath. Then I’ll go grab you a spare set of my brother’s clothes. We can’t have you walkin’ around here like a naked jaybird.”

His brows furrowed and he cocked his head to one side, question filling those green eyes. She knew that he didn’t know the meaning behind her words. But, regardless, she just couldn’t resist the impulse to talk to him, to attempt to have some sort of communication with him.

She reached over to start the water, letting the hot water run into the tub, and the look on the young man’s face was priceless. Those viridescent eyes grew real wide and his lips formed a silent “O” as he watched the water pour from the faucet. He watched with complete fascination and she was struck with the idea, once again, that this might be a new experience for him. In fact, tonight had seemed like it was just _full _of new experiences for him so far.

Now she was almost certain that it wasn’t just the English language that he wasn’t familiar with. And that would make things _very _interesting until she figured out what she was going to do with him. She had no idea who he was, no idea where he’d come from. But she couldn’t exactly just let him stay there either, at least not permanently. She was going to give him a bath, get some food into his stomach, and give him something warm to drink tonight. She would let him rest for the night and start doing some digging in the morning. He had to have some relatives or a girlfriend or a friend or something. Surely _someone _was looking for him.

Eve returned her attention to the running water that was quickly filling the tub and reached out to dip her hand into it, checking the temperature of the water. She gave a little purr of approval and swirled her hand through the water, feeling eyes on her.

She turned her head to peer over her shoulder at her silent companion, discovering that he was, in fact, staring at her, those eerie, pale eyes focused intently on her hand. He had his head cocked to one side as he studied her motions first and then cocked his head to the other side as his gaze focused on the water.

Eve reached out to turn off the water and then turned to face him.

“Okay…” she told him as she kneeled in front of him, “We’ve gotta get that hoodie off of you and get you into the tub. We’ve gotta get you all washed up, make sure you’re all fresh and clean.”

He tilted his head to one side and blinked at her.

While she’d dealt with plenty of patients at the psychiatric facility she’d worked in for the past 7 years – the first 2 as a CNA and the next 5 as an RN – she’d rarely encountered patients that were as quiet as her silent companion. In fact, she didn’t know if she’d ever met someone as quiet as he was. And, while she knew that most people would be thankful for his seemingly compliant demeanor, Eve wasn’t naïve enough to believe that he wasn’t capable of being dangerous, not after what she’d seen him do to that bear. Hell he’d killed a fucking bear, bashed its skull in right before her eyes! If anything, she’d come to learn that it was the quiet ones you had to be most cautious around. You never knew what they were capable of, what they were thinking or feeling at any given moment.

She reached out towards the zipper on the hoodie she’d pulled on him earlier that night and he reached up to tap at the piece of metal with one long, slender finger.

Those forest green orbs met her warm, cinnamon colored ones as he repeated the term she’d taught him earlier, “Zzzip-perrr.”

She smiled at him, nodding her head, and replied, “That’s right. That’s a zipper. We have to slide it down to get you out of that hoodie.”

He let her gently guide his large hand away from the zipper so that she could grasp it in her own smaller hand. He watched as she slowly slid the zipper down the track, the metal rasping as it eased apart.

Those pale eyes grew wide and his mouth formed that silent “O” as he watched her work the zipper all the way down to the bottom of the hoodie. She separated the two parts of the zipper and he cocked his head to one side, his eyes finally gazing up to meet hers.

Eve reached out to set her hands on his broad shoulders, finding that they were quite firm, and pushed at the material a little, trying to loosen it a bit for the next step. She reached down for the right sleeve and started to tug at it. Her silent companion gave no protests. Instead, he let her tug the sleeve all the way down his arm. Next, she set in on removing the other half of the hooded sweatshirt.

When she finally had the hoodie off of him, he was looking at her, those green orbs wide and questioning as he waited for her to make her next move.

“All right,” she told him, pushing herself up onto her feet and setting the hoodie on top of the hamper there in the bathroom, “Now we’ve gotta get you into the tub.”

It was easier said than done.

First, she had to haul him up onto his feet. Then she tried to indicate what she wanted him to do by pointing to first his leg and then the tub that was halfway full of water. His brows furrowed and she was quick to discern that he was confused.

She nodded, deciding to try a different tactic. She reached out to dip her fingers into the water and brought them up to slide them over his hand, letting him take in the sensation of the warm water running down the bare skin of the back of his hand.

He tilted his head to one side and his eyes fixed on first her hand and then his own before he tilted his head to the other side.

“That’s nice, isn’t it?” she asked him, “The water’s nice and hot. I bet it would feel good to get in the tub and soak for a while, wouldn’t it?”

He watched her hand move towards the water as she dipped her whole hand in this time and brought it up to his, sliding her wet thumb back and forth over the back of his hand.

“See…” she stated, pointing to his hand with the index finger of her free hand, “No more blood. It’s all clean.”

It was then that her silent companion’s eyes found the tub, those green orbs gazing down at the water. Slowly, he bent over, reaching one hand out towards the water, and dipped it under the water’s surface.

“Oh!” he cried, those pale eyes filling with excitement, “Ohhh!”

Eve grinned at him and explained in that slow, over-exaggerated manner she’d learned to use with him, _“Water. _That’s _water.”_

His eyes found hers and he tried to mimic the new word, stuttering, “Waaaaterrr.”

_“Very _good!” she praised, nodding to him.

She let him swirl his fingers around in the water for a few moments, watching as the blood and dirt started to wash off of his hand and the water began to grow a little darker.

“You can get in the water,” she informed him, gesturing to his foot first and then the water.

“Waaater,” he repeated.

“That’s right. You can climb into the water. I can wash you all up so you’ll be fresh and clean,” she said, repeating her motions once more.

He tilted his head to the side but slowly lifted his foot, swinging it over the side of the tub and placing it on the floor of the bathtub.

He gave a deep, throaty purr of approval and was quick to let his other leg join the one that was partially submerged in water.

“That’s good!” she commended.

Eve reached out for his shoulders, shoving firmly at them until he began to lower his body, finally comprehending her command. She praised him once he was finally seated, the hot water engulfing him. She was quick to fetch the washrag and kneel down beside the edge of the bathtub.

She started to reach out for the shower gel she kept on hand for her brother’s occasional visits but stopped when she heard the sloshing. She turned her head and found the source of the noise, discovering that the bloodied boy was moving his hand under the water, his green eyes locked on it and his mouth portraying his awe and delight. He was completely captivated by the motion of his hand beneath the water’s surface. In fact, he looked like a child that was playing in the water for the very first time. It made her chest tighten and a smile stretch across her face.

She couldn’t quite understand it. He seemed so innocent at times, so naïve and childlike. But, the next instant, he could be violent, brutal, downright feral. It didn’t make any sense.

And then it clicked. He was acting on pure instinct. It was as if he’d acquired no previous knowledge before she’d stumbled onto him out there in the woods. It was as if his life had begun that night and he was experiencing everything for the first time. It explained why his motor skills were poor, why his hands were shaky and his movements were clumsy. It explained why he was off balance when he tried to walk, why he stumbled and shuffled along. It explained why he had killed the bear. It had exhibited signs of aggression towards him and he had viewed it as a threat, so he’d acted on his baser instincts to protect himself. It also explained why he couldn’t communicate with her properly.

But what it _didn’t _explain was how in the hell the young man had no prior knowledge or experiences before the moment she’d met him that night. It didn’t explain how he had wound up in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night on Halloween night. Or why he was alone and naked, completely covered in blood, when she’d found him.

Shoving that thought to the back of her mind, Eve set in on washing her new companion. She reached out for the bottle of men’s shower gel she always kept there in her shower for when her brother or his best friend came to visit. She popped the top open and heard him voice an “Ohhh” of awe as he watched in fascination, his viridescent eyes riveted to the bottle as she squeezed some out onto the wash cloth.

She took her time washing him, her motions slow and gentle so as not to spook him. She wanted to ensure that it was a positive experience for him. The young man watched her every move, his head tilted to one side as those pale eyes remained fixed on her.

“Doesn’t that feel good?” she asked him, “I bet it does. It must be nice to get all clean after our little venture through the woods.”

Her companion didn’t say anything. She knew he wouldn’t. But she was coming to find his silent demeanor rather endearing.

Once she was done washing his body, she used the wash cloth to rinse him off. But it was while she was rinsing him that she discovered the horrifying, crude stitch work that littered his body. Hell the young man looked like a fucking patchwork quilt! He was stitched here and there – at the shoulder on one side, at the hip on the other, a foot was sewn onto one leg, a hand was stitched onto one arm, hell even his head was sewn on at the neck!

Eve gasped, her eyes growing wide and her mouth hanging open as she fell back onto her ass on the tile floor of the bathroom.

“Oh my God…” she mumbled.

He looked like the fucking Frankenstein monster!

But the young man just tilted his head at her, those forest green eyes searching, questioning, as he held her horrified gaze. He reached out slowly with one hand, his long, slender fingers brushing gently at her cheek, and he voiced a soft whine.

He knew that she was upset. And it was his clumsy attempt at trying to comfort her.

Eve nodded, knowing that the poor young man couldn’t help it. It wasn’t his fault, none of it. Whatever had happened to him, whatever had been _done _to him, he’d had no say in it. She was sure of that. No man would willingly sign on for something like this. She had no idea what this poor man had been through. But there was one thing that she was sure of: he had suffered enough. And she wouldn’t let him suffer any more.

With that thought in mind, Eve gave a slow nod, that steely, Mathers determination setting in, and she drained the tub, letting the sludge work its way down the drain. Then she refilled the tub with fresh, warm water. She reached out for the cup she kept on the side of the tub for when she washed her dogs, grabbing it and dunking it under the water. Once it was full, she reached out with her free hand to gently tip the young man’s head back and cover his eyes before using the cup to pour water over his hair.

Halfway through the process, she heard her companion start to emit a low, rumbling purr, a primal sound that came from somewhere deep within his chest. She felt those haunting, pale eyes drift shut under her hand as he basked in the warmth of the water.

“Well, it’s good that you enjoy taking a bath,” she mused to herself, “At least it will make this whole process easier in the future.”

She used her brother’s shampoo to lather his hair, using her fingers to massage it into his scalp and try to work the blood that was matted into his long, thick hair loose. That purr only seemed to grow louder, deeper, as she continued to work at his scalp with her fingers. She even scratched lightly at his scalp with her nails, just to make sure that she got all of the blood off. Then she had him tip his head back again and she slowly poured water over his head, using her free hand to work her fingers gently through his hair.

She was surprised to discover that that long, thick mane of hair was, in fact, blond. His hair was the color of fresh straw, a rich, golden hue that stood out in stark contrast with those viridescent irises. The man was a walking contradiction. His hair fell down to his shoulders but, somehow, it went well with those adorable, boyish dimples and his sharp, masculine features.

She couldn’t help but watch as he played in the water, hands sloshing beneath the surface until the water nearly splashed up over the rim of the tub. His lips curled up into a brilliant smile, those dimples framing his full lips, and even his eyes lit up.

Eve realized then that she was staring, her cheeks flushing as she found those green eyes gazing at her once more, his head tilting slightly as the questions swirled behind those keen, pale irises.

“Sorry,” she apologized, “I didn’t mean to stare. I just… I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You’re just so… different.”

He just blinked, watching as she retreated slightly, sitting back on her heels beside the tub.

“Well, at least your all clean now,” she told him, her eyes slowly drifting over his body as she searched for any last traces of blood.

When she was satisfied that there were none left, she reached up to brush her fingers through his long hair one last time, offering him a small smile.

“I don’t know what happened to you. I don’t know what you’ve suffered through or who you used to be. I’m not too sure what you are now. But I _do _know that I’m not going to let anything happen to you. You didn’t deserve what’s been done to you. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I think it would be best if you stayed here with me for a bit. I know my brother won’t like it, but I think it’s the best option we have at the moment. At least here, I know that you’ll be safe. I know you’ll be warm and well-fed. And until we’re able to get some answers, I don’t think that it’s a good idea to tip the authorities off to your little… predicament. Honestly, they’d probably just think I was crazy anyway. So… I guess you’re stuck with me for a while…” she started to explain before she realized that she had no idea what to call her new companion.

Upon making this discovery, she brought one hand up, tapping at her own chest as she told him, “My name is Eve. My brother and my friends call me Evie. Can you say _Evie?”_

She watched as his brows furrowed, his pale eyes fixed on her as he opened his mouth, those full lips parting as he worked his jaw and throat, struggling to get the sound he wanted to form to come out.

“Eeeevieee,” he mimicked back to her.

“That’s right,” she praised with a smile, nodding her head to show her approval, “I’m Evie.”

“Eeevie,” he repeated.

She smiled at him, nodding, and reached out to gently tap at his chest, asking, “And what is your name?”

He tilted his head as he gazed at her, trying to figure out what she was asking of him.

Eve waited a few moments but no sound came from her new companion.

“All right,” she said, “Well, I guess we’ll just have to give you a name then. Let’s see… What suits you?”

She had to think of something simple enough that he could learn to say it without too much difficulty. She had to think of something that had a nice ring to it. But, most importantly, she had to think of something that fit him.

“Ramsey…” she mused aloud.

“Rrramseey,” he parroted back to her.

“Do you like that name?” she asked.

“Rrramseey,” he said once more, lifting one hand out of the water to poke his chest.

“Yes!” she praised, grinning from ear to ear, “That’s right. Ramsey.”

She pointed to her chest, tapping it as she said, “Evie.”

Then she gently tapped his firm, broad chest, stating, “Ramsey.”

“Rrramsey,” he repeated.

“Close enough,” she agreed, nodding her head as she informed him, “Well, Ramsey, it’s time to get you out of this tub and get you dried off.

Once she had Ramsey completely dried off, Eve led him into the room that her brother stayed in while he visited with her at her cabin. She started tugging drawers open, sifting through the clothes that Chaz had left there during previous stays. She needed to find something that would fit Ramsey. He just an inch or two shy of her brother’s height and he was almost as broad, so finding clothes that would fit him wouldn’t be the hard part. Finding something that wasn’t jeans or cargo shorts would be though.

She finally settled on a black, thermal long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black sweatpants, helping her silent companion pull them on. Then she made her way out into the kitchen, hearing those heavy feet shuffling along slowly behind her.

“Let’s see… What sounds good?” she asked her silent companion as she opened the fridge and scoured the shelves, “Ah! I have chili! That’ll warm your bones.”

She pulled the plastic butter container out of the fridge and popped the lid off, holding it out to show the contents to her silent companion. Ramsey tilted his head, staring down at the concoction in the bowl.

“It’s chili,” she explained before carrying it over to set it on the counter, “Beans, tomatoes, hamburger. I add a little sugar to mine. I hope you’ll like it.”

She snagged a bowl out of the cabinet and used a ladle to scoop some of the soup out into the bowl for him. Once the bowl was covered, she placed it into the microwave and went to fetch some oyster crackers and a spoon.

“Now what would you like to drink…?” she pondered aloud, nibbling at her bottom lip as she went to the fridge once more to see what she had to offer him.

“I think we’ll skip on the dairy ‘til we figure out how your body will digest the food tonight,” she said, scrunching her nose up at the thought of having to clean the carpet if his body chose to reject the food she tried to feed him tonight.

“Let’s just hope you’re able to keep it down,” she commented, more to herself than to Ramsey, “How about some sweet tea?”

She went to pour him a glass of sweet tea and grabbed his bowl of chili from the microwave, carrying both of them over to the table to set them down. She retrieved his spoon and the crackers before reaching out to gently place a hand at the small of his back, guiding him over to the table.

“Okay. Here goes nothing,” she told him, easing him down into the chair before taking a seat beside him.

She unrolled the bag of crackers and dumped some into his bowl, using his spoon to mix them in before she dipped his spoon into the chili and lifted a bite up to his mouth, explaining, “See? It’s that easy. Just dip it into the bowl, get some food on the spoon, and lift it to your mouth.”

She guided the spoon towards his mouth and he tilted his head at her, looking at first the spoon, then Eve before he leaned in closer to the spoon. His nostrils flared as he took in the scent of the food and, after a couple seconds, he finally opened his mouth, letting her shovel a bite in.

Eve eased the spoon back out of his mouth and watched him closely, dreading what his reaction might be. But, to her delight, Ramsey’s eyes drifted shut for a moment as he chewed, a little purr escaping him as he voiced his approval.

“Well, glad to see that you like it,” she said, “You wanna try using the spoon this time?”

She handed the spoon to him and helped guide his hand through the motions the first couple of times before letting him loose with it. His first attempt on his own resulted in him dropping the spoon into the bowl and sending soup flying onto the table, causing Ramsey to voice a growl of frustration.

But Eve was quick to reassure him, telling him, “Hey, it’s okay. No harm done. We’ll just try again.”

So she guided him through the motions once more before letting him try it by himself again. He got the spoon halfway to his mouth that time but spilled the chili onto the table, resulting in another growl, this one louder and deeper, before he flung the spoon down and pounded both fists on the table as he gave a shout to voice his frustration.

“Ramsey…” Eve addressed him, her voice soft as she slowly reached out to find his arm over the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing.

She gave him a gentle squeeze before slowly sliding her hand up and down his arm, trying to calm him.

“Hey…” she murmured, “It’s okay. You’ll get the hang of it.”

10 minutes and a few fumbles later and Ramsey was feeding himself. Then came the task of teaching him how to drink out of a cup, which proved to be even more challenging than the spoon. But the excitement that filled his eyes, the smile that curled at his lips, when he finally mastered the task was well worth all of the failed attempts. It was amazing, watching that light shine in his eyes when he finally realized that he had succeeded. It was like a flip had switched inside of his brain and he had registered the fact that he could now do something for himself, even if it was something as simple as feeding himself with a spoon or drinking out of a cup.

Eve beamed back at him, a smile stretching clear across her face as she watched him with pride swelling in her chest.

Eve got a surprise when Ramsey tried to offer _her _a bite of his chili though.

Her cinnamon colored eyes grew wide and her jaw fell open as she watched him guide the spoon towards her. His brows rose and he jutted his chin out a bit as he offered her the food.

Eve couldn’t help but smile at the sweet gesture, like that of a child offering to share their favorite treat with their mother, but she shook her head, voicing a polite, “No thank you, Ramsey. I’ve already eaten my dinner. I ate earlier.”

Ramsey cocked his head to one side, his green eyes watching her as he furrowed his brows in confusion.

“I’m still full,” she told him, reaching down to rub her own stomach before she pointed to his and added, “You eat it.”

With that, Ramsey tucked back into his food, shoveling food into his mouth until the bowl was empty and then gesturing to the empty bowl with a grunt of displeasure. So, Eve was quick to fill his bowl with more.

After dinner, Eve figured it was time for bed. And that proved to be interesting enough. After she went through her nightly routine, with her silent companion watching her every move, she led him back to the room her brother used during his visits and started turning the bed back.

“Well… This is where you’ll stay,” she told him, “My room is just right across the hall. The dogs sleep in their kennels of a night so you shouldn’t have to worry about them bothering you.”

He just stood there in the doorway, staring at her, blinking those pale, haunting eyes as he cocked his head to one side.

She patted the bed, hinting for him to come over and check it out. When that gesture failed, she reached out with one hand to wave him over. He shuffled closer then, coming to stand just behind her and peer down at the bed.

“The bedding is all clean,” she said, “The bathroom is just next door and my room is right over there.”

She pointed out the door, across the hallway to where they could see the door to her own bedroom.

When Ramsey didn’t move to climb into the bed, Eve decided to help him to speed the process along. It had been a very long and eventful night and, quite frankly, she was ready for bed herself.

But once he was finally in the bed and she’d tucked him in under the sheets, turning to leave the room, Ramsey reached out to grab her hand, his grip firm as he wrapped one large, strong hand around her delicate wrist.

“No,” he protested, his voice stronger than she’d anticipated, “Evie… ssstay.”

Eve’s chest grew tight as she saw the pleading look in those viridescent orbs. It was the first time he’d spoken without her prompting him to, the first time that he’d actually put his own thoughts together that night instead of just parroting what she’d said back to her. And he was making it _very _clear what it was that he wanted. He wanted her to stay with him.

“Ramsey,” she murmured, leaning down to brush his wild, blond hair out of his eyes with her free hand, “I have to sleep in my room. You sleep in here. You’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”

“N-No,” he stammered, shaking his head hard, “Evie… ssstay.”

“Ramsey, it’s okay,” Eve tried to reason with him, “I can bring a nightlight in for you if you’re afraid of the dark. Here. I’ll go get one. Stay here.”

She turned to leave and put a firm hand on his chest, repeating, _“Stay._ I’ll be right back.”

She hurried to the bathroom, where she always kept a spare nightlight, in case the one she had plugged in should stop working, and brought it back to Ramsey’s room, voicing a sharp gasp as she ran smack dab into his firm chest upon trying to enter the room.

Ramsey was poised in the doorway, his imposing form blocking her way. He’d apparently chosen to ignore her order to stay put and had been in the process of following her. But when he heard her startled gasp, Ramsey’s arms wove around her lithe frame, caging her in his arms and pressing her close. He pressed his face into her neck, nuzzling at her with his nose as he voiced a whimper of apology.

“Jesus, Ramsey…” Eve breathed, “You fucking scared me.”

When she was finally able to get him to release her, she slowly eased out of his grasp and made her way over to plug the little nightlight into the wall. She turned off the bedroom light and took him by the hand, sifting her delicate fingers through his long, slender ones as she guided him over to the bed once more.

“All right, in you go. It’s time for bed. Evie is tired,” she told him, lifting the blanket and gesturing for him to climb into the bed.

“Evie… stay,” he murmured again in that rough rasp of his.

“No,” she informed him, “Evie can’t stay. Evie sleeps in her _own _room, over _there.”_

She pointed across the hall to her bedroom and he voiced a huff, flopping down on the bed and rolling away from her to face the wall.

“Goodnight, Ramsey,” Eve whispered, leaning down to brush his hair out of the way so that she could press a kiss to his temple, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

With that, she turned and left the room, leaving his bedroom door open so that he wouldn’t feel caged in. She made her way over to her room and closed the door, stripping off her pajama pants before climbing into bed.

She heaved a sigh as her head hit the pillow, asking herself, “What did you get yourself into now, Eve?”

Eve woke with a start, her eyes flying open and her heart hammering in her chest. She held her breath, listening for the sound again.

And there it was.

_Scrrraaaatch…_

_Scrrraaaatch…_

_Scrrraaaatch…_

She heard someone fumbling with the doorknob, their motions slow and clumsy. And it was then that it hit her. It was Ramsey. It had to be.

She laid there, silent, waiting, thinking that, maybe if she didn’t get up, maybe if she didn’t go answer the door, he would get frustrated and give up. But that thought was quickly squashed when she heard the telltale click as he finally managed to turn the knob over. He pushed the door open and shuffled into her room, stumbling over to her bed and lifting the covers to slide into bed with her.

Eve remained completely still, holding her breath even, as Ramsey slid over until he was pressed right against her back, draping one strong arm around her slender waist and pressing her back against him. He buried his face in her hair, breathing her in, before tucking his face against her shoulder.

“Ramsey stay…” he murmured, “Stay… with Evie.”

And it was then that Eve Mathers discovered that she was well and truly fucked. Because not only had she discovered this poor Frankenstein boy out in the woods, naked, scared, and abandoned. But she had also welcomed him into her life, into her _home, _and now he had every intention of staying.

** Lyrics from the Songs: **

_Whispers in the Dark _by Skillet


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